Writing a Banksy biography can be a challenge, given that his true identity remains a mystery. However, here’s what we know about Britain’s most celebrated graffiti artist: Originally from Bristol, Banksy’s stencils have become immensely popular throughout the UK and his subversive images can be seen daubed on walls throughout the world.
Some believe that his stencilled graffiti provides a voice for those living in urban environments that could not otherwise express themselves, and that his work is also something which improves the aesthetic quality of urban surroundings; many others disagree, asserting that his work is simple vandalism (a claim made by at least Peter Gibson, spokesperson for Keep Britain Tidy), or that his (apparently left wing) beliefs are not shared by the majority of the inhabitants of the environments that he graffitis. This political purpose behind his vandalism is reminiscent of the Ad Jammers or subvertising movement, who deface corporate advertising to change the intended message and hijack the advert.
Banksy does, however, also do paid work for charities (e.g., Greenpeace) as well as demanding up to £25,000 for canvases. It has also been alleged [citation needed] and denied [citation needed] that Banksy has done work with corporations such as Puma. This has led to him being accused of being a sellout and a careerist by other artists and activists.
Due to the shroud of secrecy surrounding his real identity and his subversive character; Banksy has achieved somewhat of a cult following from some of the younger age group within the stencilling community.
Many Banksy art images have moved off public walls and into private collections in the form of limited edition prints. These often generate large sums at auction houses such as Bonhams and Christies. Even the Banksy works that have remained on walls have been sold at auction, with some being dismantled. A house in Bristol with Banksy art work on the outside was also sold as ‘a work of art with a house attached’ through an estate agent.
Banksy designed the cover for Blur’s ‘Think Tank’. He has also attracted great media attention through various stunts aimed at the establishment. These have included hanging Banksy prints in London's Tate Modern and the New York Museum of Modern Art. In 2005 his version of a primitive cave painting depicting a human figure hunting wildlife while pushing a shopping trolley was found hanging in the British Museum.
Other stunts carried out by Banksy have included painting images on the Palestinian side of the Israeli West Bank barrier. He also substituted amended versions of Paris Hilton’s CD at several record stores. These CD’s have subsequently become highly collectable. Despite receiving enormous media attention Banksy’s real identity remains the cause of much debate.
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